Appetite issue 41 February

A gift to self, dear reader, arrived at the door a month ago. A gift immediately so loved that it has barely strayed from my hands since, and its produce has been served at the table daily.
Said present to self is a soup maker; a gadget I love so much I marvel now that I survived so many years without it. And I’m not one for gadgets, not since I kindly purchased a yoghurt maker, circa 1982, for my father for Christmas. He wrestled with it valiantly, even managing to produce a couple of batches of something approaching edible, but thereafter it lay forlornly at the back of the cupboard, emerging only decades later after his – and its – demise.
I never forgot the folly of pocket money wasted on a wholly unnecessary gadget and have since resisted all temptation towards anything more exotic than a Kenwood mixer and a toaster. Indeed, I pride myself on the lack of gadgets gathering dust on my kitchen surfaces, so it was quite a surprise to all when I announced my intention to invest in said soup maker. And it’s a revelation! Cut-price market vegetables go in, and out come soupy delights, as if by magic! I’ve also branched out into using it to make smoothies and sauces for the freezer.
But my love affair with my gadget comes at a price. It beeps – a high-pitched, insistent din, over and over, a warning sign of whizzing and purréeing, and of the thing finishing its job. I find this only mildly irritating, but the dog, poor creature, is terrified of the noise, to the extent that he only has to see me plug the thing in and he’s a quivering wreck. So I fear I may have to part with it…
So, anyone out there in need of a Dalmatian dog? Free to a good home…

About

appetite magazine is dedicated to the taste of the North East of England.
Food and drink, grown here, made here, enjoyed here by the appetite team and our readers.
The magazine is published eight times a year and can be picked up free in cafes, delis, farm shops and restaurants all over the North East.